CAS 



612 



CAS 



New and duplicity. In his temper he is more docile than 

 CatiJft t h e native of Old Castile, who pertinaciously retains 

 """Y**^ the inflexibility of his ancestors, whilst the other rea- 

 dily assimilates with the character of the neighbour- 

 ing provinces. In general, the observer may trace in 

 him a complexional resemblance to the country he 

 approximates ; he is most civilized in the environs of 

 Madrid; most useful in the borders of Andalusia; 

 most active and industrious on the confines of Valen- 

 cia ; most arrogant and rude on the frontiers of Ar- 

 ragon and the Sierra de Cuenca ; most indolent in 

 the neighbourhood of Estremadura ; whilst genero- 

 sity, nobleness, and benevolence, are the bonds which 

 unite him to Old Castile. In particular, we should 

 select for praise the inhabitants of Alcaria, distin- 

 guished by their frankness and simplicity, their cheer- 

 ful love of labour, their social affections, and ready 

 hospitality," The steady loyalty, the decorous gra- 

 vity of deportment, the cautious prudence, and the 

 fortitude in adversity, which have distinguished his 

 forefathers for many centuries, still distinguish the 

 Castilian of the present day. The frequent revolts in 

 Catalonia lead him to characterise the Catalonian as 

 a rebel, and to cherish against him a deep-rooted ha- 

 tred ; while the sentiment is repaid on the part of the 

 Catalonian with contempt. On the promenade, while 

 others are walking backwards and forwards, the Cas- 

 tilian takes his seat on one of the benches, and never 

 rises but to return home. 



Some of the towns and districts of this province 

 are distinguished by local customs and amusements, 

 as the mondas of Talavera de la Reyna, the festival 

 of the nights of Prado, the mass of Aginaldo, and the 

 custom of burning Judas in effigy. The guitar is 

 their favourite instrument ; but the pandero and zam- 

 bomba are also much in use, and are peculiar to Cas- 

 tile; the former is generally accompanied with sequi- 

 dillas, and the latter with the voice, but is used only 

 from All-Saints day to Christmas. The music of 

 both is harsh and monotonous. Of the national dan- 

 ces., which .constitute a principal amusement of the 

 Castilians, the quaracha is peculiar to themselves. It 

 is danced by a single person, to the sound of the gui- 

 tar, and the steps are formal and precise, greatly re- 

 sembling the Dutch minuet. 



The population of New Castile bears no proportion 

 to its extent ; and according to Laborde, has been 

 sensibly diminishing during the last century. Of ma- 

 ny flourishing villages, scarcely a vestige remains ; and 

 195 deserted chapels perpetuate the names of as ma- 

 ny once populous hamlets, which have been long left 

 without an inhabitant. According to the estimates 

 of 178? and 1788, the total inhabitants of the pro- 

 vince, without including the monks, amounted to 

 940,649, among whom were reckoned 54-43 priests, 

 8794 monks and nuns, 12,687 nobles, 2123 advocates 

 and writers, 2859 students, and 46,742 domestics. 



New Castile has two cathedral chapters, five col- 

 legiate chapters, two abbeys, four establishments of 

 military orders, 1301 parishes, 375 religious houses, 

 108 hospitals, eight monks hospitals, a supreme mi- 

 litary government, four provincial military govern- 

 ments, four provincial intendants, three universities, 

 fifty schools, six cities, 754 towns, and 382 villages. 

 Its chief places are Madrid, Toledo, Cuenca, Talave- 

 ra de la Reyna, Illesca, Zurita, Tremblequa, Villa 

 Nueva de los Infantes, Consuegra, Alcolea, Guada- 

 laxara, and Alcala de Henares, 



This province, early in the fifth century, was con- 

 quered from the Romans by Altholphus, king of the 

 Alani, who fixed his residence at Toledo, and laid the 

 foundation of a Gothic dynasty, which lasted for 300 

 years, and ended with Roderigo, who fell in the bat- 

 tle of Xeres in 711, when opposing the invasion of 

 the Moors. This battle was followed by the subver- 

 sion and desolation of the Gothic empire ; and this 

 province continued under the subjection of these in- 

 truders till its reunion with Old Castile in the llth 

 century. See Old CASTILE, and SPAIN. See also 

 Laborde's View of Spain, vol. iii. p. 56 324 ; and 

 Swinburne's Travels through Spain, vol. ii. p. 1 14 

 243; (/>) 



CASTILLA, a genus of plants of the class Poly- 

 gamia, and order Monoecia. See BOTANY, p. 343. 



CASTILLEIA, a genus of plants of the class 

 Didynamia, and order Angiospermia. See BOTANY, 

 p. 248. 



CASTLE, an edifice designed for defence against 

 hostile assault. 



The state of military architecture is, in every coun- 

 try, strictly commensurate with the advancement of 

 the arts. We can trace its regular progression from 

 the condition of the defenceless savage, who shuns his 

 more powerful enemy by retreating to the fastnesses 

 of the mountains, down to the construction of towers 

 and battlements which the most skilful engineer can 

 devise for the repulsion of the assailant, who has all 

 the destructive engines of war at command. Never- 

 theless, this is a subject which has experienced un- 

 common neglect, and the elucidations it receives we 

 are compelled to give from scanty materials and the 

 memorials of former ages. 



When mankind, in savage life, begin to manifest 

 inimical designs against each other, the weaker re- 

 tire to eminences of the earth ; they pile bulwarks 

 around them, or form earthen circumvallations, and 

 rows of pallisades. Their bulwarks, as civilization 

 improves, are converted into rude constructed towers ; 

 after which are erected edifices gradually enlarging 

 into castles, and lastly, appearing in spacious areas, 

 encircled by buildings serving alike for convenience 

 and defence. That such are the different gradations, 

 is not only testified by modern experience, but by 

 ancient history, and in particular by that of our na- 

 tive islands. 



One of the simplest kinds of regular entrenchment 

 that can now be found, is among those South Ame- 

 rican Indians, who are just verging towards the first 

 degrees of civilization. Retiring to the top of a hill, 

 they dig three or four ranges of moats around it, each 

 strengthened by a parapet, from whence they can 

 safely annoy an assailing enemy. Sometimes the ex- 

 terior circumvallation exceeds a league in circuit ; the 

 inner parapet or bank is always higher than the outer 

 one, and their dwellings stand in the centre of the 

 whole. Not very dissimilar from this, was the cus- 

 tom of our ancestors during the Roman invasion soon 

 after the birth of Christ. Tacitus, in speaking of the 

 resistance offered to Ostorius, says, tune montibus 

 urduis et si qua clementer accedi poterant, in modum 

 valli saxa prcestruit ; that is, they secured themselves 

 on rugged mountains, and defended any accessible 

 parts by ramparts of stones. The remains of such 

 an entrenchment, now called Moel Arthur, exist on 

 the top of a mountain in Wales. On the only acces- 

 sible side void of precipices are two ditches of great 



Castilla 



I! 

 Castle. 



